New Robben Island Museum council

Cape Town - A new council has been appointed for the Robben Island Museum, headed by former ANC deputy secretary general Thandi Modise, the government announced on Thursday.

The appointment comes nine months after the old council resigned following a tense meeting with Arts and Culture Minister Lulu Xingwana.

The chairperson of Parliament's portfolio committee on home affairs, Ben Martins, is the deputy chairperson of the new 14-member council.

It also includes Stanley Mogoba, the former president of the Pan Africanist Congress, and Pandelani Nefolovhodwe, the deputy president of Azapo.

The administration of the Robben Island Museum, which houses the prison where Nelson Mandela spent most of his time behind bars, has for years been plagued by infighting, controversy and allegations of mismanagement.